FEWER abuse victims may come forward if doctors are obliged to report allegations to the authorities as soon as they hear them, the president of the Irish Medical Organisation fears.
Dr Henry Finnegan said doctors are anxious to support any measures to improve reporting and to deal with the increasing incidence of child abuse.
But if a form of mandatory reporting was introduced which discouraged people from coming forward, it would do a disservice to victims, he said.
He was speaking at a press conference to announce details of next week's IMO annual conference in Killarney.
